Antibodies to cellular antigens in Sjogren's syndrome

Abstract

An extract of human lymphocytes from continuous cell culture was used as the antigen source to detect antibodies in sera of patients with Sjorgen's syndrome (SS). Using double diffusion in agarose, 85% of a selected group of patients had precipitating antibodies. 3 Precipitating antigen antibody systems were detected, and were shown to be different from those described previously in other systemic rheumatic diseases. The SS precipitating antibodies were temporarily classified as precipitins A, B, and C. SS patients with sicca syndrome but without clinical rheumatoid arthritis had precipitin systems A and/or B, and SS patients with associated rheumatoid arthritis had precipitin system C. Serum reactants were demonstrated by immunoelectrophoresis to migrate in the γ globulin region. The precipitating activity of the serum factors was not destroyed by treatment with 2 mercaptoethanol and was not removed by absorption of rheumatoid factor from the sera. The reactivity of the lymphocyte antigens was destroyed by treatment with trypsin, but not by deoxyribonuclease or ribonuclease.